Plzen

Plzen
/pl"zen'yeu/, n.
a city in Bohemia, in the W Czech Republic. 175,000. German, Pilsen.

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      city, western Czech Republic. It lies in the fertile Plzeň basin, where several tributaries gather to form the Berounka River. On a busy trade route between Prague and Bavaria, Plzeň was first recorded in the 10th century, chartered in 1292, and fortified in 1295 by King Wenceslas II. It was a Roman Catholic stronghold in the 15th century during the Hussite Wars and withstood long sieges.

      The medieval town square forms the centre of Plzeň and is dominated by St. Bartholomew's church, with its slender steeple (335 feet [102 m]), the highest in Bohemia; the Franciscan Church of the Virgin Mary; and the Renaissance town hall (1556) and burgher houses.

      The coalfields at nearby Nýřany and local iron-ore deposits gave rise in the 19th century to Plzeň's engineering industry, symbolized by the Škoda Works, which occupy most of the city's western sector. Severely damaged in World War II, the factories were rebuilt and restored to production. Best known for munitions, the Škoda Works also manufacture heavy machinery, military aircraft, railway locomotives, and cars. Škoda pioneered the development of electric-railway locomotives, with plastic body panels to reduce axle loadings. Since the Middle Ages, Plzeň has been famous for its Pilsner beer; its Měšanský pivovar (“Citizen's Brewery”) was built in 1842. Other manufactures include chemicals, pottery, hardware, and paper. The city is the transportation hub and the economic and cultural centre of western Bohemia. It is the site of the University of West Bohemia (1949; renamed 1991) and the West Bohemian Gallery and Museum. Pop. (2007 est.) 163,392.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Plzen — Plzeň …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Plzeň — Plzeň …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Plzeň — Héraldique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Plzeň — [ pl̩zɛnj]: tschechische Form von ↑ Pilsen. * * * Plzeň   [ plzɛnj], Stadt in der Tschechischen Republik, Pilsen. * * * Plzeň [ pl̩zɛnj]: tschechische Form von ↑Pilsen …   Universal-Lexikon

  • PLZEN — PLZE face= EU Caron ウ, all. PILSE Grand centre industriel de la Bohême occidentale, en République tchèque, Plze face= EU Caron ゴ comptait 173 000 habitants en 1991. Fondée au XIIIe siècle, la ville se développe surtout à partir du XIXe siècle. Sa …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Plzeñ — Plzeñ, tschech. Name für Pilsen (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Plzeň — [ pɪlzɛn ] (Hauptstadt des Westböhmischen Kreises; vgl. Pilsen) …   Die deutsche Rechtschreibung

  • Plzeň — [pul′zen yə] city in W Czech Republic: pop. 172,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Plzeň — Geobox | Settlement name = Plzeň native name = other name = category = City image caption = View at center with St. Bartholomew Cathedral flag border = 1 symbol = Plzen CoA small.gif etymology = official name = motto = In hoc signo vinces… …   Wikipedia

  • Plzen — Pilsen Pilsen Héraldique …   Wikipédia en Français

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